Talk:Jeff and Annie/@comment-5679407-20140809061312/@comment-5679407-20141025035613
First, let me say that I agree with a lot of what you say. That said, I will have to disagree with you strongly on the interpretation of Annie's speech in Basic Sandwich. Yes, if we look at her character's progression, we can say Annie's speech could apply to her experiences with romance. However, in the context of the episode, that speech was clearly meant for Jeff. She may have used the term "we" when making her references, but I think it's visible that it was a subtle plea to Jeff. And if it was in fact an epiphany on Annie's part, that is "she realized that her crush on Jeff is self destructive and has not brought her happiness and instead a lot of issues" then why was it that she stated, "You know what? You guys can have my food and water?" when Jeff told Britta that they still had each other? (Let me remind you that this occurred after Annie's sppech.) Granted, it was a funny cut-away, but I fail to see where Annie realizes her crush on Jeff is self-destructive. The concept of "compatibility" is not an objective one--in fact Dan Harmon, and his team of writers, have written the characters in such a way where each one of them is a possible romantic prospect for the other--his words, not mine.And while I see your point about Jeff's and Annie's both shared and respective reservations toward an exclusive relationship, these are merely exogenous variables. It may affect their dynamic, but it does not define it. We've seen the both of them paired up where they almost always get along. When ever they do have conflicts, the resolution occurs endogenously. They talk it out; they have a dialogue about what their actually feeling. They rarely make references to "cynics" and "slackers," but express what they think of each other. I agree that Annie's revelation in "Virtual Systems Analysis" was telling. One interpretation--which would be quite logical--is that her crush on Jeff was merely a manifestation of her idealized notions of love and the following sequence of events would see her moving away from that crush. I would agree with this conclusion. However, moving away from the crush does not mean moving away from any romantic prospects with Jeff. It just means moving away from the notions of idealizing Jeff. And just maybe, something more "authentic"--and I use that word cautiously--can develop. I'm not saying that this happened. But it's a possible result of Annie's epiphany. While Annie has since retreated to certain fantasies of Jeff--the marriage fantasy to which you were referring--these are elaborated on. What first started as a simple-mistake snowballed into this grand-deception which would be informed by the fact that Jeff ditched Annie--let alone, reneged his departure to flirt with another woman. Can no romantic implications be drawn from that? Dan has his reasons for not wanting to actually pair up Annie and Jeff in an exlcusive relationship, but I would argue that it isn't remotely close to "incompatibility." Whether it's the age difference, Annie's optimism, or Jeff's cynicism, there's a romantic rapport between them--seen in numerous episodes including "Basic Sandwich." My most sincere opinion is that Dan may be carrying out their relationship in the manner of Shakespearean playwright. Almost like Romeo and Juliet. They love each other; they may even want to be with each other; but there are exogenous forces that prevent that--like the study group, Britta, the age difference, etc. These forces are compelling enough in Dan's opinion--especially the age difference--to keep Jeff and Annie apart. It's almost tragic--and exploring romance through this facet is not a bad thing. However, this does not mean that Jeff and Annie are objectively not "compatible." Consider this, if Annie were just a couple of years older, would Jeff have as many reservations about pursuing Annie as he does now? As a Jeff/Annie shipper, I don't want to see them get together--at least not during the series. I love what Dan has done with them. He's essentially given more--and I also use this word cautioiusly--than a relationship. If they were in a relationship, it would be stagnant and monotonous. However as "friends" with romantic tension, he can place periodical referendums on their feelings by introducing a variety of catalysts and stimuli. He can tread the line with certain conflicts without worrying if it's "kosher" for the standard boyfriend-girlfriend relationship. It's the "Will They?/Won't They?" trope done differently. I don't see an endgame--though it depends on how one defines it--between Annie and Jeff, and I think most devotees don't think so either because we're familiar with Dan's style. What I do see is a strong hint/leaning towards Annie and Jeff's romantic rapport as Dan had tentatively done in "Basic Sandwich"--considering that Dan thought it would be the series finale. (The Caps are for emphasis, I'm not actually shouting, :) .)